Afternoon Blouse in custom-print silk

I may not have shared a finished project since December, but I hope you'll agree it was worth the wait. My first make of 2016 is pretty special, for two main reasons. The beautiful silk fabric was custom-printed for me by Bags of Love using a stunning photo taken by my talented photographer friend, Ed Melia. If you're interested about the process I went into the detail here.

I needed a simple pattern to let my fabric sing and one that I could squeeze out of a mere metre of fabric too. Although I'm almost two years behind the times, the Afternoon Blouse by Jennifer Lauren Vintage was just the ticket! The pattern has been on my wish-list ever since it was released in 2014, so I'm glad that I finally got to make it up in style.

I love the simple lines, lack of closures and vintage-inspired design details. With no sleeves to set in either, this really does only take an afternoon to sew up! My silk fabric was a dream to work with and feels sublime to the touch, while the perfect button, a shiny/reflective lilac affair, was languishing in my stash.

Jennifer's instructions and diagrams are crystal clear, which is a huge bonus even for a make as simple as this. The only things I did differently were to under-stitch my facing and to finish off with a roller hem...it's crazy how bulky such slinky fabric can become when folded!

Fabulous! The fabric is beautiful, and the pattern sets it off perfectly; simple enough to let the fabric shine, but just enough detail to make it interesting. And finding the perfect button in your stash is always a win!